Monkey Business
by CrocScale
Summary: A suspicious death turns into much more when the team begins suspecting apes of murder.
1. Questions Raised

Chapter 1

Questions Raised

The Lyell Centre was quiet, it was early, and Nikki was at her desk, pondering over a newspaper when Harry strode in. He raised an eyebrow at her feet resting on the tabletop, but settled on rolling his eyes and slumping down in his chair across from her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked absently, not moving her eyes from the page.

Harry looked around with confused amusement, as if it was obvious. "I do work here, don't I?"

"Not usually this early," she snickered, finally glancing up to watch his reaction.

As he opened his mouth to let out a cheeky retort, Leo appeared in the doorway of his office. "Harry, I've got a case for you," he called before disappearing once more.

With a sigh that accidentally turned into a yawn, Harry rose and headed after him, narrowing his eyes at Nikki as he passed. She'd won that time, and she knew he wouldn't forget.

"So," Harry said as he entered his boss's office. "Car accident? Bank robbery? Crazed mob of pitchfork wielding peasants? What is it this time?"

Leo ignored his questions, accustomed to those sorts of comments from Harry, and said, "A woman's body was found outside the gates of a privately owned zoo." When Harry smirked and opened his mouth, Leo held up a finger to silence him. "Save the animal jokes. The son of the zoo's owner found her early this morning when he went to open up."

Outside the office, Nikki turned in her chair to listen in on the conversation, her mind no longer interested in the story she was reading. She put down the paper as Harry came striding back out to grab some things from his desk.

"Sounds like an interesting case," she commented, a sly smile sneaking across her face. "It's a pity really."

Harry paused and looked up. "What's a pity?"

"Oh, you know," she said with an exaggerated sigh. "You'll be out there, having fun, and I'll be owl by myself."

"Ha ha," he rolled his eyes before heading to the door. "Animal puns? Toucan play at that game."

"I'd say that was a good one, but I'd be lion," Nikki smiled.

Standing with the door open, Harry sighed. "Whale, would you like to come? Alpaca you're things."

"I can't," Nikki shook her head. "But let minnow how it goes."

"Okay. See you later, alligator," Harry called as the door swung shut behind him.

Nikki giggled and yelled, "Take care, polar bear," as he walked past the window and disappeared down the hall. Leo rolled his eyes in his office and settled down to work as silence fell over the lab.

* * *

As Harry pulled up to the scene, he glanced up at the tall fences surrounding the zoo. A big sign hung above the gates and read 'The Little Family Zoo.' Ironic, as 'Little' was the surname of the family who owned it.

Climbing from his car, he headed past a couple of vehicles and approached the police tape. As he showed his identification card to an officer and ducked under, a man already dressed in a bright white suit approached and held out his hand. "You must be Dr. Harry Cunningham. I'm Detective Inspector Jeff Curtis," he greeted in a strong Irish accent as Harry shook it. "The body was found at around half past six this morning," Curtis continued, leading Harry to where a bloodied shape lay face down on the ground.

"Hmm," Harry mumbled, his eyes glancing over the body before rising to the gates. "Are there any security cameras out here?"

"None," Curtis shook his head as someone came over and handed Harry a suit. "It was the son, Charlie, who found her. The family lives inside the park, and he'd come out to open up for the day."

After Harry had pulled on the suit and gloves, he kneeled down to take a closer look. Whoever she was, it looked as if she had a couple of deep wounds to the back from the rips in her jacket. "Looks as if she's been stabbed," he commented, carefully checking out one of her hands. It was so mangled and disfigured that he knew there would be no way to get a fingerprint. "Do we have a name yet?"

Curtis shook his head. "She didn't have any ID on her, but we're already looking for any missing persons reported recently."

"Right," Harry nodded. "Let's turn her over."

As the woman's head turned and came into view, Harry had to close his eyes for a moment. Curtis stood from his position beside the body and took a step back, running a hand through his hair. "Oh… wow…" The entire face was nearly unrecognizable as human.

Harry nodded silently and bent down to turn the head, getting a better look at the injuries. "This does not look like the work of a knife," he said slowly, questions flying through his mind. "We should get her back to the lab. I'll do the post-mortem this afternoon."

* * *

"You busy?" Harry asked, dashing past Nikki and throwing his coat over her head to land on his chair.

"Yes, but you probably don't care," she said, glancing up from her work for only a second before dropping her eyes again.

"Good, then scrub up," he called back.

It was a while later before she finally pushed open the door to the cutting room, pulling on some gloves as she made her way to Harry's side. Looking down at the body, her face twisted.

Harry glanced over and caught her expression. "Does that look like the work of a knife to you?"

She shook her head and walked to the other side of the slab. "Looks more like the work of an animal if you ask me." When Harry sent her a curious look, she said, "She was found outside a zoo, wasn't she?"

"Yes, but she was also stabbed. And how would one of the animals have gotten out anyway?" Harry continued, moving down to one of the hands. "That would, however, explain the fact that her fingers appear to have been bitten off."

Nikki bent down to get a better look at the woman's other hand. "Harry?" Moving over to her side, he looked to where she was pointing at the palm. "This bite mark looks strange."

"Does it?" he asked.

"There appears to be puncture wounds from the upper canines, but hardly any sign of the teeth in between, as if they were flat," Nikki explained, turning the hand over. "Here is where the lower canines entered, and there are still no signs of the other teeth."

Harry let his eyes wander around as his face scrunched up with confusion. "So?"

"So," Nikki continued, "Whatever bit her fingers off had long sharp canines, but flat incisors."

"So… what kinds of animals have teeth like that?" he asked, straightening as Nikki moved her gaze up the arm.

"Hold on," she mumbled, halting for a moment.

Harry bent down again for another look. "What is it?"

"Look," she pointed. "The bruises here look like she was held down."

Moving her aside, Harry took the arm and slowly rotated it as he examined the bruise. "Let's check this for fingerprints."


	2. Suspicious Circumstances

**Thank you very much for the reviews KiwiSWFan and greyslostwho! I'll probably be updating once a day, so hopefully nobody gets really irritated when my story keeps showing up on the page for the newest updates. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Suspicious Circumstances

"You are not going to believe this," Harry announced the following morning as he leaned on the desk. Nikki tore her eyes away from her work and raised an eyebrow. "A chimpanzee," he said simply.

She frowned. "What about a chimpanzee?"

Harry paced across the room and shook his head slowly, still not quite believing it himself. "We found a fingerprint on the body. It belongs to a chimp."

Nikki shifted in her seat and crossed her arms. "Are you saying this woman was murdered by a chimpanzee?"

"Possibly," he nodded and let out a laugh. "Imagine that! Murder by monkey!"

"No," Nikki shook her head before resting her elbows on the desk and looking back down to the papers in front of her. "Not a monkey."

"What?" Harry asked. "I just told you—"

"Chimpanzees are apes, not monkeys."

Harry contemplated that for a moment before giving his head a quick shake. "Whatever. Anyway, all the evidence we have points to a chimp. The injuries to her hands and face are consistent with chimp attacks, plus we now have a fingerprint. What doesn't add up though, is that she was stabbed."

"Chimps have hands," Nikki commented. "Could it have stabbed her?"

"I suppose it's possible," he nodded, leaning back on the desk and scratching his chin. "It's unlikely, but possible. Where would it have gotten a knife though?"

Nikki shrugged, trying to concentrate on the work she'd been doing before he interrupted. Glancing down to see she was no longer paying attention, Harry rolled his eyes and looked up at a buzz from the door.

"A chimpanzee, eh?" DI Curtis asked as Harry let him in.

"As strange as that sounds, yes," Harry nodded.

"Well," Curtis continued, "I've got some news too. We've got an ID. Her name is Lauren Todd, and here's the interesting bit. She was a journalist investigating the zoo." Nikki looked up, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Apparently she was an avid animal activist as well. She was out to prove the zoo wasn't taking care of the animals."

"That sure gives the owner a motive to kill her," Harry commented. "Do you think she could've been onto something?"

Curtis shrugged. "From what I can tell, those animals are in heaven. The zoo's even won an award for its enclosures."

Wandering across the room, Harry turned back to face him with a frown. "This is all sounding rather strange," he mumbled, mostly to himself. "The woman was killed by a knife, but also by a chimpanzee, both of which are nowhere to be found."

"I was questioning the owner of the zoo, Tom Little, when you called," Curtis added. "He claimed the zoo's only ever had three chimps, all of which are accounted for."

"Well, then why not get their fingerprints taken?" Nikki spoke up.

Curtis glanced over with a smile. "Good thinking," he nodded, pulling out his mobile. Typing in some numbers, he held it to his ear before glancing up to Harry and Nikki. "You two wanna tag along?"

Harry immediately grabbed his jacket and followed Curtis to the door. "Come on, Nikki," he said as he passed. "It's a chance for me to get you out of _my_ seat." She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes before setting down her pen and leaping up to join them.

* * *

Nikki stood with Harry in the hall at the back of the chimp enclosure and watched in wonder as one of the keepers got fingerprint after fingerprint through the bars from the seemingly docile animals. None of them stood out as particularly aggressive, but Nikki knew that they could be notoriously dangerous when they wanted to be. Having lived in South Africa as a child meant she knew all about the many stories of chimp attacks that happened farther north.

"Well, that's done," Curtis sighed, interrupting her thoughts as he approached with their newly acquired chimp fingerprints. "I'm gonna take these over to the lab right away. Feel free to take a look around if you want. This is still a crime scene and the zoo won't be opening again for a while, so you can have the place to yourselves."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," Nikki agreed. "Harry?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I'll stay as well."

Curtis turned to leave, but paused at the door. "Pop by Lauren Todd's flat when you're done. I'll text the directions. We've already searched the place, but maybe some sharp-eyed pathologists can discover something."

"I've never understood that term," Harry mumbled as they wandered outside. "Eyes aren't sharp."

Nikki ignored him and walked around to watch the chimpanzees from the public viewing area. She crossed her arms as the apes came back outside. "They don't seem like killers," she mumbled, eyes following the big male as he climbed lazily onto the wooden structure that sat in the middle of the cage.

"Neither do a lot of people who end up as murderers," Harry remarked as he moved to stand at her shoulder.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Nikki turned away and ambled over to the next exhibit. "Even if the fingerprints match, a chimp still couldn't get out of the zoo, kill someone, and get back in without someone seeing."

"Which means we'd be looking for a human suspect as well," Harry agreed as a wolf peered out of the bushes at them. They fell silent for a moment, but Harry soon broke the quiet with a joke. "What do you call a crate full of ducks?"

With a slight grin, she continued walking and said, "I don't know, but you're probably going to tell me."

"A box of quackers," he said in as serious a voice as he could muster.

Nikki couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face and a giggle sneaking out. Her mood soon changed, however, when she spotted someone coming their way. He looked to be in his late teens and was wringing his hands nervously as he approached.

"Hi, uh, are you the police?" he asked, halting in front of them.

Harry sent her a glance. "No, I'm Dr. Harry Cunningham and this is Dr. Nikki Alexander. We did the autopsy on the woman found outside."

"Are you Charlie Little?" Nikki asked. "You found her, didn't you?" He nodded and his eyes wandered about, as if making sure they were alone. When he looked back to them though, he remained silent. "Did you want to tell us something?" Nikki pressed gently.

"Uh," he mumbled, unsure. Then, he quickly shook his head. "No, no. It's nothing. Forget it." With that, he spun around and beat a hasty retreat.

Exchanging a suspicious glance with his colleague, Harry crossed his arms as he watched the teen leaving. "That was odd," he remarked slowly.

"He knows something," Nikki muttered. "That much is obvious. I suppose we'll just have to wait until he feels ready to tell us."

Harry nodded silently, curiosity sparking inside him. "Shall we go?"


	3. Bad News

Chapter 3

Bad News

Lauren Todd's building was nice. It was in a good part of town and seemed rather cheerful, that is until you walked upstairs and saw the police tape outside her door.

An officer stood in the hall, and Nikki showed him her ID before stepping through the door with Harry following close behind. They split up to take a look around and Nikki found herself in the kitchen. Even though she knew a crew had already been through, she was still impressed with how tidy things were. The dishes were in the cupboards, the food in the fridge. It was as if someone would come home at any moment and get started on dinner. Of course, Lauren Todd wasn't coming home.

Harry, meanwhile, had wandered into the bedroom. A cork board hung on the wall next to the door, and was covered in pictures of animals. Scanning his eyes across the papers, Harry paused and leaned in. It was a page cut out of a newspaper that had caught his attention, a story about chimpanzee smuggling in Africa.

"Have your sharp eyes found anything yet?" Nikki's voice came from the doorway.

He glanced sideways and straightened. "Nothing to do with our zoo." Moving to a desk at the side of the room, he opened a drawer and started rummaging around. "You'd think if she was doing a story on the zoo, then she'd have some notes or something, but there's nothing."

Nikki made a noise of agreement and crouched down to look under the bed. Turning around, Harry watched as she sat back on her heels and wiped some hair out of her face before checking under the mattress. Her hand stopped abruptly and she frowned.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I think there's something under here."

At her words, he hurried over and lifted up the mattress. Nikki's face fell when she saw there was nothing there. Harry was about to let it drop back down, but she turned her head to look up at the bottom. She reached up and searched under the edge of the sheet.

"Very clever," Harry observed as she brought out a small notebook. Nikki opened it as he dropped the mattress and stood up to show him.

_Illegal chimp breeding/selling. Possible buyers: David Fairburn, John Miller, Connie Hooper._

"Well, there are some clues for you," she grinned.

Harry agreed, saying, "It seems she might not have been investigating the state of the zoo after all," Taking his mobile from his pocket, he headed for the door. "I'm going to call Curtis and tell him to meet us back at the lab."

Nikki followed him out slowly, still looking through the notebook. That was the only page that was used. All the rest were blank. As she was flipping through, something slipped out of the back and drifted to the floor.

"Harry," she called.

Ending his call, he poked his head around the corner and saw the pictures in her hand. "Where'd you get those?" he asked, hurrying back to take a look.

"They fell out of the back," she said as she held them up. The first was of a large delivery van at the back gate of the zoo, and the other was the same scene with the owner and another man standing in front of the truck.

"He's facing away from the camera," Harry grumbled. "Just our luck." He sighed loudly, but gave a quick shrug. "Oh well. Come on, Curtis will want to see these as well."

* * *

DI Curtis had been late, but Harry was glad, because while he was waiting, he'd enhanced the pictures. "Here is where you should focus your attention," he said, pointing to the screen as the pictures came up.

"Aha," Curtis nodded happily. "Now we're getting somewhere. I'll get that number plate checked right away. Good find, Nikki." She smiled from her seat and watched in amusement as he marched off with his mobile already stuck to his ear. "Oh, and I'll also let you know as soon as I can what we find about those three names," he called over his shoulder.

Nikki placed her chin in her hands and grinned up at Harry. "You're looking pleased," she commented.

"That probably has something to do with the fact that I am," he replied with a pointed look before disappearing after Curtis.

* * *

Another morning dawned, and with it, another early arrival of Harry. When he caught Nikki and Leo exchanging a curious glance, he explained before they could make some sort of teasing comment. "DI Curtis rang me earlier. He found the owner of the delivery van and has gone to pay him a visit."

"That still isn't really a reason for you to be here so early," Leo remarked with a smile.

Harry sent him a withering look. "I couldn't have just gone back to bed, could I?"

"Well," Leo shrugged, flipping through the file he was holding. "I'm glad this case isn't putting you to sleep, Harry. And seeing as you're here early and have nothing else to do, why don't you get started on that dusty pile of reports on your desk."

Looking between his boss and the dusty reports in question, Harry tried to make an excuse. "Nikki's in the way."

Nikki looked up innocently from where she'd once again, taken over his desk. "Oh, don't worry," she smiled slyly. "I'm happy to move." And just like that, she quickly gathered up all her stuff and shifted to sit on her side.

"Why is this the only time I can get you to use your own desk?" Harry muttered under his breath as he fell heavily into his seat and picked up a pen.

Leo glanced up from his desk as Harry stepped into his office, a troubled look on his face. "Something wrong?" he asked as his friend wandered farther in, eyes glued to his mobile.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. "Has DI Curtis called the lab?"

Shaking his head slowly, Leo leaned back in his chair. "Why? Was he going to?"

"He said he'd ring me as soon as he talks to that bloke, Conner Wilson, the delivery van driver." Harry paused, still looking through his phone to make sure he hadn't missed the call. "That was hours ago. You don't think something's happened, do you?"

"I'm sure everything's fine, Harry," Leo said, trying to calm him. "Why don't you call the station, see if he's there," he suggested.

"I already did," Harry frowned, crossing his arms. "No one's seen him since this morning."

The two fell silent at a buzz. Harry exchanged a glance with his boss before rushing out to get the door. A tall, well-dressed man with a solemn face and greying hair stepped in and shook his hand. "Harry Cunningham?" Harry nodded. "I'm Detective Inspector Nathan Sadler." Still rather confused, Harry led him in and waited for him to speak. "I'm afraid I have some bad news," he began, pausing as Nikki looked up from her desk and exchanged a worried glance with Harry. "DI Curtis has gone missing."


	4. Investigations

**Thanks again for the reviews you two! And KiwiSWFan, I've already finished the story and there isn't any romance in it, but I'm planning on doing another with romance included. Of course, I have to think of a plot first, which is proving to be a bit of a dilemma... Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Investigations

"Missing?" Harry exclaimed before turning his back and pacing across the room. "I knew something was wrong."

Sadler continued when Harry spun to face him again. "I've been assigned to the Lauren Todd case in his absence. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Oh yes," Harry nodded, still agitated. "He went to pay a visit to Conner Wilson."

"Conner Wilson?" Sadler asked, sending Nikki a confused glance when Harry didn't answer.

Nikki sighed and stood up to shake his hand. "I'm Dr. Nikki Alexander. I'm helping with the case. Come on, we'll bring you up to speed." Sadler seemed relieved to find that someone was making sense and sent Harry one more glance before following the more level-headed pathologist to the conference room.

* * *

Nathan Sadler stood outside the door to Conner Wilson's flat and glanced back at his team of police officers before rapping on the door. As he waited, he cast his eyes around the hallway, but soon grew impatient and motioned to one of the men behind him. As they forced the door open and shouts of 'police' echoed through the flat, Sadler slowly followed them inside.

"No one's here," he growled, stomping into the lounge, though not a moment later, a call brought him into the kitchen. "What is it?" he asked, annoyance lacing his voice.

"You might wanna take a look at this," the officer said, stepping back to let him through.

Sadler looked down and narrowed his eyes at the sheet of paper still smoldering in the sink. It was obviously a hasty attempt to get rid of it. Luckily for him, it was too hasty, and the paper hadn't quite caught.

* * *

A quiet tension had fallen over the Lyell Centre at the news of a detective's disappearance. Nikki was sat at Harry's desk, leaning back in the chair with her arms crossed and a frown on her face as she silently argued with herself. Finally coming to a decision, she reached forward and picked up the phone.

"Hi," she spoke quickly. "Yes, I'm looking for an address." There was a pause and she glanced down to a piece of paper in front of her. "David Fairburn." Grabbing a pen, she scribbled something down. "Thanks." Setting down the phone just as Harry walked in, she sent him a glance before quickly busying herself with a file.

"Heard from DI Sadler yet?" he asked absently. She shook her head and tried to look intent on her work. Harry sighed and turned to head back to the conference room. "Let me know if he rings."

"Sure," she called after him, waiting until he was gone before jumping up, grabbing her jacket, and slipping out the door.

* * *

David Fairburn's house was a ways from the bustle of the city, nestled amongst a small grove of trees. Nikki pulled into the driveway and parked, pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to say, but that didn't stop her. She'd think of something.

Stepping out of the car, she let her eyes wander and gazed up to the grand house. So far, her impression of David Fairburn was that he had an expensive taste and the money to satisfy it.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Nikki marched up the front steps and used the large brass doorknocker to rap on the door. She waited for a few moments, and when her attempt was met with silence, she glanced in the window to the left. The inside looked even more impressive then the outside, and Nikki had to wonder if this David Fairburn might not even have the money to purchase a chimpanzee after spending it all on his home.

Not to be swayed from her snooping though, Nikki soon retreated from the front porch and wandered around the back, still watching the house, searching for any sign of life. Her heart began to beat faster as her imagination started playing tricks on her. A curtain flickered here, a shadow moved there. A second look always calmed her racing heart, but an uneasy feeling still filled her stomach.

The back garden looked just like any other. Well, that wasn't strictly true. Everything had obviously been landscaped to perfection. Everything but the shed, that is. It was huddled, half-hidden, among the branches of a tree that drooped low enough to hide the window in the side.

Nikki sent one last quick glance over her shoulder before making her way through the perfect flowers and neatly trimmed bushes. Ducking under the branches of the tree, she neared the wall of the shed and her expression hardened with determination. The darkness just behind the dirt-covered window was telling her to run and not look back, but she'd been through much worse than a creepy old shed, and she wasn't going to let a silly fear of the dark stop her from investigating.

Repeating that thought over and over in her head, Nikki stepped closer to the window, closer to the darkness, and peered inside. She let out a breath as her eyes landed on shovels and rakes. It was just a shed, just a garden shed, nothing more.

Then something moved.

Clamping a hand over her mouth so as not to yelp, Nikki looked closer and gasped as two small eyes met hers. The dark eyes looked up from a pinkish face that was framed with deep black fur, and blinked slowly.

"Hello there," Nikki whispered, more to calm herself than the baby chimp. "I think I know someone who'd like to meet you."

* * *

Harry was frowning over Sadler's new evidence when Nikki called. He and the detective were already out of the building by the time Nikki hung up, and Sadler just finished calling for the police as they reached his car.

When they pulled up outside David Fairburn's house, there were already two officers at the scene. Harry jumped out with Sadler not far behind and they were shown to the shed. Nikki was still outside the window, watching the chimpanzee inside. She only turned her head when Harry stood at her shoulder to try and get a look at the bundle of fur in the darkness.

"I've called the RSPCA," Sadler said quietly, appearing at her other side. "They're on their way now."

"You're not supposed to be here," Harry said, his voice low and angry. When she looked at his face though, it was relaxed and he had a twinkle in his eye as he watched the chimp. Catching her glance, he grinned. "This isn't even your case."

"Jealous of my find, are we?" Nikki asked teasingly, turning back to the window.

Harry gave her a quick poke in the side and she giggled, trying to return the gesture. The slam of a car door halted their game and they both spun to watch as a very angry looking man stomped around the house.

"What's goin' on 'ere?" he roared. However, when his eyes came to rest on the object of their interest, his face turned from fury to fear.


	5. A New Case

Chapter 5

A New Case

Harry and Nikki were stood leaning back on her car as they watched the scene playing out in front of them. Mr. Fairburn shifted nervously as he was questioned by Sadler and the police. His eyes left them for a moment to follow the movements of the animal control officers as they carried a small dog crate to their vehicle. Nikki just caught sight of the wide-eyed face inside before it was placed in the back of the van and a couple of bodies blocked her view. Then the door closed and the chimp was gone.

Glancing over at the sound of her quiet sigh, Harry gave her shoulder a bump with his own and sent her a questioning look. She shook her head dismissively and dropped her eyes to the ground.

"We're taking him in for questioning." Sadler said, his voice drawing Harry's gaze. "He doesn't seem to be aware of the murder, but we're being careful all the same."

"And the baby chimp?" Nikki asked, looking up to watch the RSPCA van as it disappeared from view.

Sadler followed her gaze. "They're taking it to a sanctuary where it's going to learn how to be a real chimp. It turns out he's been using it as sort of a toy for his niece. She's been dressing it up and everything." Nikki frowned at that, but remained silent. "Anyway," Sadler continued, turning to go. "I'll give you a ring as soon as we're done with him," he called over his shoulder.

With another sigh, Nikki turned to open the car door. "Hop in," she said. "I'll give you a ride back and you can tell me what Sadler found."

* * *

"A contract?"

"Yup," Harry confirmed. "And not a very official looking one at that. The delivery man, Conner Wilson, was picking up illegally obtained baby chimps from the docks and bringing them to the zoo."

Nikki looked upset. "That's terrible. So, Tom Little has a whole operation set up?"

"Looks like it," he agreed. "And it sure would help if we knew where this Conner Wilson chap is, and DI Curtis for that matter."

Pulling up outside the Lyell Centre, Nikki turned off the car and climbed out just as Leo came rushing out of the building. "Is everything alright?" she asked as he hurried past them to his own car.

"Yeah," he nodded swiftly, but frowned as he opened the driver's door. "Well, no. I've got a car accident in the middle of nowhere."

"Good luck," Harry called as he slammed the door and started the engine. Then, in a mock imitation of Leo, he continued with, "Thanks Harry, that's very kind of you. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself. You've been working very hard recently. You should go on a holiday sometime, maybe to the Caribbean or something." Nikki gave his arm a whack with the back of her hand as they made their way inside. "Spoilsport," he mumbled, but still held a grin on his face.

* * *

"I think this just got a whole lot more complicated," Leo said, his voice muffled as he leaned over the body, half in the car.

The detective assigned to the case, Rosie Easton, hovered beside him as an interested expression suddenly crossed her face. "Do tell?" she asked, trying to peer around him to see what had caught his attention. Leo moved aside and gestured to the bullet wound hidden just above the man's hairline. "He was shot?" Easton asked, leaning forward for a better look. "Great," she continued, her tone turning sarcastic. "With the condition of the windscreen, we won't be able to know if the bullet passed through it." She cast a troubled glance to the front of the car where it was imbedded in a tree trunk, glass everywhere.

Leo sighed and rolled his eyes while she wasn't looking. "Won't we?" he asked, tilting the man's head away from the seat. When she only gave him a blank look, he continued. "There is absolutely no sign of blood splatter. If he was shot inside the vehicle, there would have been blood all over the seat. As is, there's only a trail from the exit wound."

"So," Easton deduced slowly, "He wasn't even in the car when he was shot?" Leo nodded. "He was already dead when the accident happened?" He gave her a pointed look. "Well," she shrugged, "At least we know why he crashed."

"Yeah," Leo mumbled to himself sarcastically as she moved away to let him continue.

Crouching down to take a look around the man's legs, he paused. There was a stick lying broken on the floor of the car, just under the accelerator. Wondering for a moment if the small branch had fallen in from the tree outside, Leo soon brushed the thought away and concentrated on the rest of his examination.

* * *

Harry and Nikki didn't pay much attention to Leo when he returned, mostly because Sadler had arrived and was filling them in on his findings during the questioning of David Fairburn. Nikki gave her boss a distracted wave as he passed them on his way to the cutting room, but didn't move her eyes from the detective.

"Says he paid twenty five thousand pounds for it," Sadler was saying with disbelieving a shake of his head. "Apparently he didn't know he needed a permit to own a chimpanzee. You'd think he'd suspect something when he was told to meet Mr. Little on a deserted road in the countryside… at night."

"That does seem fishy, yes," Harry nodded absently, thoughts racing.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't start with the animal jokes again," she warned. He smirked, not noticing right away what he'd said.

"Anyway," Sadler continued, attempting to keep them focused. "I've tracked down Connie Hooper, one of the other names in that notebook you found, Nikki. She doesn't live far from here, so I'm thinking of paying her a visit as well."

"You'd better warn the RSPCA again," Nikki suggested. "They might have another new charge soon."

Sadler gave a swift nod as he moved to the door. "Good thinking. I'll see you two later." With that, he slipped out and left them to mull over the evidence.

* * *

A few hours had passed since Leo arrived back, and he eventually returned from the cutting room to find his colleagues sitting in the other's chair as they bickered good-naturedly about something completely unrelated to the case. Moving to stand beside their shared desk, he crossed his arms and waited for them to notice his presence.

"Ah," Harry said when he finally swiveled to face him. "Leo, can you please tell Nikki—"

"No, I can't," he interrupted, face growing serious. Both frowned, noticing his expression as they gave him their full attention. "Conner Wilson," he stated simply.

They sent each other a glance across the table. "What about him?" Harry asked.

"He's in our morgue."

Silence filled the room. "He's what?" Harry scoffed, breaking it for a moment. Soon though, a disturbed look came across his face as he understood. "The car crash victim," he nodded, more of a statement than a question. He already knew the answer.

"So, the only person who might know where DI Curtis is has died in a car accident?" Nikki asked dejectedly.

Leo shook his head. "He was dead before the crash, shot in the head at point-blank range." That earned a horrified look from Nikki and a disheartened one from Harry. "There's more. DNA from some hairs and a blood sample matched the DNA we found in Lauren Todd's wounds."

"You're not telling me this chimp has learned how to shoot a gun now, are you?" Harry asked incredulously, his expression somewhere between shock, amusement, and worry.

"No, Harry," his boss sighed. "I don't know what I'm trying to tell you."


	6. Puzzling Evidence

Chapter 6

Puzzling Evidence

As soon as Nikki arrived the next morning, she headed straight for the conference room, where she found both her colleagues sitting around the table with Sadler and Easton.

"Good," Sadler announced when she entered. "You're here, we can start. Now," he continued as Nikki took a seat. "First of all, I found Connie Hooper. Her situation was nearly identical to Mr. Fairburn's, except this time we caught her in the act. The chimp was all dressed up in a frilly pink dress when we got there." Everyone present frowned. "Not only that, but when she was questioned, she gave us the same story; twenty five thousand dollars after meeting on a deserted road… at night."

"Things are definitely starting to connect," Easton commented darkly.

Sadler nodded and said, "Let's go over what we know."

"We have a murdering chimpanzee on the loose," Harry offered, earning himself a warning glare from Leo. "Hold on," he defended. "It's kind of true. The chimp definitely had something to do with the deaths of both victims."

Sadler nodded absently as he thought hard. "Yes, but there's no way it did all this by itself. I mean, it wouldn't have been able to position Conner Wilson back in his car after it shot him and somehow crash it into a tree, which by the way, we still don't know how that was managed in the first place."

Sitting up straight in his chair, Leo's face suddenly went serious. "There was a stick on the floor of the car, just under the accelerator. I thought it had fallen in when it crashed, but maybe someone wedged it to the pedal."

"It's possible," Easton nodded, her frown deepening. "In fact, I've seen it before."

"Still, like you said," Harry motioned to Sadler, "A chimp wouldn't have been able to manage all that."

Running his hands over his face, Sadler sighed. "Lauren Todd is killed by a chimp and perhaps a person, but not any of the chimps at the zoo. Then you," he points in Nikki's direction, "Find those pictures in her flat and DI Curtis goes missing when he tries to talk to Conner Wilson. Not only that, but then Conner Wilson is nowhere to be found, only to turn up dead in what seems to be a car accident but isn't. He was apparently killed by the same chimp and possibly the same person who may or may not have helped kill Lauren Todd." He groaned and sat back in his chair. "This is hurting my head."

"Don't forget that Tom Little seems to be selling illegal baby chimps," Nikki added, earning another groan from the detective.

Easton spoke up again, saying, "She's right. Never mind trying to figure out whatever else is going on right now. We need to bring in the Littles for another questioning. Doing that might lead us closer to the culprit."

"Right," Sadler nodded, turning to the other detective. "You and I can head over to the zoo while you," he said to the pathologists, "can take another look at Conner Wilson's body. We need anything you can find." Leo looked a bit put out at the assumption they could have missed something, but nodded all the same, agreeing that it was a good idea.

* * *

"What do you think?" Harry looked over the slab at the question to where Nikki was examining the bullet wound again. He shrugged when she looked up curiously, earning a frown. "Normally you would have a witty reply all ready and waiting," she mumbled, bending down to poke around the exit wound.

He sighed quietly, and shrugged again. "Yeah." That earned him another searching look.

"Are you alright?"

Straightening away from the body, he ground his teeth together as he thought. Nikki flinched and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"Could you think without making that horrible noise?" she asked with an amused smile as she traveled down Conner Wilson's arm.

Harry stopped grinding his teeth and raised an eyebrow. "Fox ears," he mumbled, returning to his examination of Conner Wilson's left side.

"Found anything?" Leo asked, halting their banter as he returned from the other side of the room where he'd been searching the man's clothes for clues.

"Not unless you count freckles as 'something'," Nikki smiled, glancing across at the clothes. "Do you want me to take a look at those?"

"Sure," Leo nodded. "I'll take over here. You've probably got better eyesight than me anyhow."

"Hawk eyes," Harry muttered as she passed. Ignoring that comment, Nikki began searching the shirt for any helpful information. "You know what I am wondering about though?" he asked, voice louder so she and Leo could hear him.

Leo glanced up. "Do tell?"

"Nikki, do you remember when we were at the zoo and we met Charlie Little, the son?" She nodded, also looking up from the table as a curious expression crossed her face. "He was acting strange," he told Leo, cluing him in. "Like there was something he wanted to tell us, but was too scared."

"He kept glancing around to make sure we were alone, but seemed to lose his nerve and left pretty quickly," Nikki added.

Leo seemed interested by this new information. "Well, if he's got something to say, Sadler might get it out of him."

"Leo," Nikki's voice echoed quietly from the other side of the room. "Come look at this."

Rushing over to see what she'd found, he grinned when his eyes caught sight of the small thread tucked under the collar of the shirt. "Fantastic," he smiled. "Good job."

* * *

A couple hours later, Harry and Nikki were sat at their own desks for once, waiting none too patiently for the results of a lab test. Harry was repeatedly taking apart a pen and putting it back together while Nikki drew random shapes on a piece of paper. They both looked up expectantly when Leo entered the room, but from the look on his face, they could tell it wasn't the news they were hoping for.

"Well," their boss began. "It came from a rope, but they couldn't get anything more than that."

"Great," Harry said sarcastically, "and DI Easton called a minute ago to tell us the Littles had been at the horse races at the time of Conner Wilson's death, so that's them in the clear."

"Still," said Nikki, "We've got evidence of Tom Little selling illegal baby chimps, but the police aren't letting on that they know, so he's oblivious."

"Meaning he won't try and run," Harry added.

Nodding slowly, Leo leaned on their desk and sighed. "But that still doesn't help us figure out who killed Lauren Todd or Conner Wilson."

"Who knows," Harry shrugged. "It might take us a step closer. After all, Conner Wilson was delivering the chimps for him, so they're still connected."


	7. An Unexpected Guest

**Thank you for the review Blackcat509! I won't be having any trouble updating this story as it's already done, so fear not!**

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Chapter 7

An Unexpected Guest

A few hours had past and the two younger pathologists had moved to the conference room, talking through the case again, but still not getting anywhere. Leo appeared in the doorway, a confused expression on his face. "Um, Harry, Nikki," he said slowly, "There's someone here to see you." He moved aside, and out of all the people in the world, the last one they were expecting stepped through the door; Charlie Little.

"Hi," he greeted with a nervous wave.

"Hello," Harry returned, sending Nikki a hopeful glance over the table before they both moved towards him. "Charlie, isn't it?" He nodded. "What brings you here?" Glancing behind him to where Leo still hovered, Charlie swallowed.

"It's okay," Nikki said softly. "You can trust us."

With a final nod, the teenager seemed to make up his mind and stood taller. "I didn't want to go to the police," he began, not quite meeting their eyes. "I don't know why. It's stupid because I know you're going to tell them anyway."

Harry shook his head. "It's not stupid. We're much nicer than the police." Nikki elbowed him in the side and he sighed. "But you're right; whatever you tell us, we're going to have to pass it on."

"Have a seat," Nikki suggested, pulling up a chair herself and watching as he seemed to relax. Harry and Leo joined them and she nodded for him to continue.

Taking a deep breath, he began. He told them of his father's illegal chimpanzee operation and his deal with Conner Wilson, but then he surprised them. "There was another man, John Miller. I saw him and my dad meeting outside the zoo one night. Usually they're sold for money, but this time he traded something for the chimp. I couldn't see what it was, but it was different. I had a bad feeling about it." He took a breath and glanced around, analyzing their reactions. "I was curious, so I followed him. I followed John Miller. I know it was stupid," he defended when Leo gave him a disapproving look. "I should've called the police, but… I didn't want to get my dad in trouble."

"You followed him?" Nikki asked, gently steering him back to the point.

He nodded slowly and continued. "I followed him to a warehouse. It looked abandoned, but he met another man outside."

"Could you see what he looked like?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, they were standing in the lights of the car, so I could see them both just fine. He was, I don't know, about six feet tall. I'm not good with heights, but he was a bit taller than John Miller who's the same height as my dad. He's five foot ten inches, so I assumed somewhere around six feet. He was wearing a big black overcoat, black trousers, and a brown fedora. I think his hair was brown too, but I couldn't see it under the hat." Pausing for a moment, his shoulders seemed to relax as he blew out a long breath and looked up to meet their gazes.

"That's good," Harry smiled. "You were right to come to us."

Charlie returned the smile, though his was considerably weaker, and said, "I know where the warehouse is; I can show you."

Getting to his feet, Leo shook his head gently but sternly. "I'm sorry, but I think it would be better if you just told us where it is." Nodding solemnly, Charlie did as he was asked and Harry immediately left to call the detectives.

* * *

Rolling up to the warehouse, they found Sadler and Easton already there with a team of police officers. Harry had barely parked when Nikki jumped out of the passenger seat. Leo was not far behind them and soon, everyone had arrived.

"So, it was Charlie Little that told you about this place, was it?" Sadler asked, craning his neck to eye the building suspiciously.

DI Easton wandered over from an officer and pursed her lips. "That's the son, right?"

"Yup," Harry nodded.

"And you trust him?" she asked.

The three pathologists exchanged a glance. "We do," Nikki answered, her expression almost daring someone to comment.

"Right then," Easton said, drawing out the first word. "Let's go."

"You three stay out here," Sadler ordered. "We'll yell when it's safe, and don't argue," he added, narrowing his eyes at them before turning to follow the other detective.

Harry began fidgeting on the spot soon after the last policeman disappeared through the big doors and Leo rolled his eyes. "Will you stand still?" he asked, but his tone was joking and Harry sent him a snarky look.

"Do you really trust him?" Harry asked, turning the other way to look at Nikki.

She frowned at him. "Don't you?"

"Well…"

"You don't?" She looked irritated.

Harry fidgeted again, although this time it was her harsh gaze that was causing his unease. "It's not that I don't trust him," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's just that we don't even know him." He paused. "Plus he's a teenager. I can't read them. They're like aliens."

"Oh Harry," she huffed in exasperation, turning to the warehouse, though a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

A few more moments of silence passed and finally, Easton appeared in the entrance. "It's empty," she announced.

"What?" Nikki practically stormed past her. She was sure they were going to find something, but the detective was right. The supposedly abandoned warehouse was just that; abandoned. Leo and Harry trailed after her, but neither looked quite as upset. Still, they came to stand nearby and looked around with the same disheartened stare as she did.

"Well," Sadler sighed as he made his way over. "I think I'd like to have yet another word with that Charlie fellow."

"He could have just been mistaken," Nikki insisted.

He didn't look convinced. "I really hope you're right and he didn't just send us on a wild goose chase." Turning to the policemen, he called, "Come on, we're done here!" Then he left them alone to return to the police station, Easton trailing after him looking grumpy.

"Are you alright, Nikki?" Leo asked once they'd all left and silence had descended.

She turned her head and fixed him with a sarcastic stare. "Peachy."

Knowing that it was probably better to leave it at that, Leo made his escape. Sending Harry a raised eyebrow, he silently wished him luck. Once he'd gone as well, Harry started wandering around the wide open room. "I was sure too," he said from behind a dusty crate. "I guess I did trust him." He popped his head around the side and back into view. "Charlie, I mean; even though he's a teenager."

That earned him an eye roll and Nikki started ambling around as well, half hoping she'd find something the others had missed. "I'm worried about Curtis," she called quietly across the room.

"Me too," came Harry's answer. "I mean, it's entirely possible that he changed his mind about visiting Conner Wilson and went to a pub instead. Maybe he just got drunk and accidentally got on a plane to the Caribbean."

"Harry…"

"Lucky bugger," he continued. "He's probably traipsing around on a camel right now. Not that they have camels in the Caribbean, but that's in case he ended up in Africa instead."

"Harry."

"Maybe he went somewhere completely different, like Iceland or Canada."

"Harry!"

"What?" he yelled, finally hearing her.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Get over here!"

He hurried over, moving around some spider web-covered shelves to see her standing in the middle of an open area. As he walked towards her, his face changed from confused to very confused. He paused and took one step forward. His footstep sounded different. It rang out louder.

"This is hollow," he said quietly. Nikki nodded. "There's something under here." Again, she nodded, appearing rather amused at his deductions. Jumping into action, he got off the hollow sounding piece of plywood and helped Nikki move it aside. There beneath it, was a stairwell.

He turned to exchange a glance with his friend, but she was already descending. "Nikki," he whispered harshly. When she didn't stop, he gave an exasperated sigh and stepped down after her.


	8. Fedora in the Leaves

**Action time! One more chapter after this to wrap everything up!**

* * *

Chapter 8

Fedora in the Leaves

The first thing Nikki noticed was the darkness, the second was the terrible smell, and the third was Harry stubbing his toe on something. He cursed quietly and fumbled along the wall, looking for a light switch. When his finger did finally find their target and light flooded the room, he heard Nikki gasp. Lining the walls on all sides, were cages. Cages and cages of baby chimps surrounded them and they both stood frozen for a long moment.

"You'd better call Sadler," Nikki whispered into the room.

Harry wasn't paying attention. He'd spotted something else. Striding forwards to the crates in the middle of the room, he pried one open, hoping and praying there weren't more chimps in there. Thankfully, no little eyes stared back at him, but something else did.

"Cocaine," he growled. "Not only do they have an illegal chimp selling operation, but a drug one as well."

"Call Sadler," Nikki repeated.

Rushing to yank his phone from his pocket, Harry did as she said. When his rushed, anxious voice filled the room as he explained the situation, Nikki turned on the spot to examine the rest of the room. There was another door at the side, huddled between a few cages, and she cast a quick glance back to see Harry still talking. Promising herself she wouldn't go far, she stepped through the door.

"Ewe," she shuddered as she took in the spider webs covering the low ceiling. Continuing on down the small corridor, Nikki frowned at the stairs that met her at the end. A slanted hatch called from the top and she put a foot on the first step.

"What are you doing?" Harry's voice hissed right behind her.

She jumped and spun around. "Don't!" she hissed right back. "Do not do that!"

"Well?" he whispered.

"It's a tunnel leading out from under a warehouse storing baby chimps and drugs! What do you think I was doing? Trying to find some juice?"

"Shh!" he snapped, waving a finger in front of his face when her voice grew louder. She sent him an expectant look and glanced up to the hatch. Gaze flickering between her and the stairs, he let out a quiet groan. "Fine," he grumbled, stepping up to push on the small door. It didn't budge.

"Push harder," Nikki ordered quietly.

He sent her a cranky glare. "Really? I hadn't thought of that." Finally, the latch gave up and Harry stumbled out into… a forest?

Nikki hurried out after him and stood gazing around in confusion. "I guess it's just an escape route?" she sighed.

"Look at this," Harry said quickly, bending down to a patch of mud. "It seems this escape route has been used recently." Nikki's eyebrows rose curiously at the footprints in the mud, and she began following them deeper into the forest. "Nikki," he growled. "Wait for Sadler and the others."

She spun back and gave him her best puppy-dog eyes. "I'm not going far. I just want to check."

"Check what?" he asked, his voice irritated as he began to follow. "You're just saying that so I let you go."

"Yeah, and it's working." She grinned when she heard him grumble behind her.

"Look," he tried. "They just left not long ago, so they couldn't have gotten very far away. They're probably just getting back now. Please wait for them."

"Harry." She had stopped.

"No just listen," he ordered firmly.

Apparently she didn't want to, for not a moment later, she was running off to the right, slipping and sliding down a leaf-covered hill. He grumbled under his breath and made to go after her, but then he spotted what had her so worked up. DI Curtis was slumped below them at the bottom of the hill, his hands bound tightly around the back of a tree trunk, and a cloth tied around his mouth.

"Nikki," he called, trying not to be too loud. "Wait! What if it's a trap?"

She didn't hear him, or if she didn't, she wasn't listening. Giving up, he jogged down after her, using trees to steady himself on the way down. Nikki reached the man below and quickly checked his pulse. Relieved to find it was still beating strongly, she pulled the cloth off his mouth and set to work on the ropes around his wrists.

"How is he?" Harry asked, skidding to a halt at the bottom of the hill.

"He's alive," was all she said. Any more than that, she didn't know.

Harry helped her untie his hands and together they took hold of his arms, trying to make his landing soft as he slumped to the ground. Patting his cheek gently, Harry attempted to wake him up. "Come on," he muttered. "Curtis? Wake up buddy."

"Jeff?" Nikki tried. "Jeff Curtis?"

Slowly and sluggishly, the detective's eyes blinked open before closing quickly at the brightness of the sun as it shone through the trees from its low position in the sky. He moaned and coughed, trying to sit up.

"Hold on," Harry said quickly. "Stay still for a moment. Let us check you for injuries."

"Where are the police?" he croaked, doing as he was told.

Nikki exchanged a glance with Harry and spoke gently. "Don't worry, they're on their way."

"Great," he laughed dryly. "So instead of a police search team, I get two pathologists. I'm not ready for you yet."

Harry snickered. "There _is_ a police team," he insisted. "They're coming."

"Can I sit up now?" Curtis asked after a moment.

"Nothing hurts?" Nikki asked. "You can feel all your fingers and toes?"

"Yeah, I'm alright" he grunted, not waiting for the 'okay' as he struggled into an upright position. "Oh," he groaned, reaching to hold his head.

"Let me see," Nikki ordered, reaching up to inspect for damage.

Curtis froze. For a moment, Nikki thought she'd hurt him, but he was staring past her, past both of them. Suddenly, he scrambled to his feet and both pathologists spun around. Two men stood there, guns in hands, pinning them against the hill.

"Who're they?" the one with the fedora asked. The fedora! It was the mystery man Charlie had told them about. Which probably meant the other one was John Miller.

"Uh," Curtis stuttered, suddenly realizing he was talking to him. He glanced between them all, trying to decide what to do in his slightly confused state.

"Harry and Nikki," Harry answered for him.

"Yeah?" the fedora man asked. "And? Are you police officers?"

They exchanged a quick glance, and Harry answered again. "No, we're pathologists."

John Miller snorted. "Hate to break it to you, but he's not ready for you yet," he laughed, motioning at the detective between them. "We could let you know when he is though."

"Shut up," the other one ordered angrily.

"So," Nikki spoke up, "I'm assuming all that cocaine in there belongs to you then?" Harry sent her a shocked and desperate glance, but she ignored him. "The chimps as well, I suppose?"

The fedora man's face contorted and he fixed Nikki with a bone-chilling stare. "You were snoopin' in my stuff then, were ya?" he growled, suddenly growing furious. "Just my luck, isn't it? John, I think you're gonna need to do some more diggin' now."

"Sorry, digging?" Harry asked, worried.

"Yeah," he said, as if it were obvious. "You know, diggin' holes." He grinned. "Diggin' graves."

"Ah," Harry nodded, now completely understanding. "Well—"

"Shut up!" When Harry clamped his mouth shut, the man grinned again. "Good. Now, you," he growled, pointing his gun in Nikki's direction and taking a step closer. "How much did ya see?" Nikki didn't answer, only stared at the gun now pointed at her head. "Because," the fedora man continued, "now the fun part starts. If ya say ya didn't see anythin', then I know you're lyin' and I get to blow you're bloody head off."

Harry stiffened and growled, "Leave her alone."

"Shut up," he said absently. "Then again, if ya say ya saw it all, I get to blow you're bloody head off anyway."

"Look," Harry tried, inching his way slowly over to Nikki, "Just calm down let us talk—Ah!" Nikki flinched as John Miller brought the butt of his gun down on Harry's shoulder, making him fall to his knees.

"Hey!" Curtis yelled. "The police are closing in on us right now, so you'd better not do anything you'd regret!"

"Shut up!" the fedora man yelled. "Shut up or I'll kill 'er!" He darted behind Nikki and forced her to the ground beside Harry, holding the gun to the back of her head.

Nikki shut her eyes tightly as yelling broke out all around her. A new scream entered the mix and the man behind her was knocked off his feet, fedora flying away and landing in the leaves. A full grown chimpanzee had flung itself at him, favouring one of its arms as it tore at his face. Nikki scrambled away from the fight and backed into Harry as he stood frozen, staring at the scene playing out in front of them.

A gunshot rang through the trees as John Miller tried to halt the attack on his boss, but it only seemed to make the chimp angrier. He continued firing, but suddenly his gun jammed and Curtis hurtled himself at the other man. His head connected with a rock and he was out cold in a flash.

Silence fell throughout the forest as the chimpanzee struggled to climb off its enemy. It looked up once, meeting Nikki's gaze before its own eyes closed forever.

"Are you two alright?" Curtis asked quietly, sitting back on his heels.

Nikki nodded silently as Harry spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "Yeah. Are you?"

"Yeah," Curtis sighed.


	9. Mystery Solved

**Here you go folks! The last chapter. Hope you enjoyed the journey! If you could call it that... I suppose it was more of a stroll around the block. Anyway, thank you for the kind reviews!**

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Chapter 9

Mystery Solved

Nikki and Harry were both wrapped in huge hugs when they returned to the front of the warehouse where Leo was waiting for them. Sadler and Easton had arrived with the police team not long after the fight ended. They'd heard the commotion from inside the hidden room below the floor and easily followed the footprints to their location.

The mystery man with the fedora was barely alive when the paramedics got to him, but once he'd been loaded into an ambulance, he seemed to be doing slightly better. John Miller was also doing better having woken up in some handcuffs. He had then proceeded to curse and swear until everyone wished he was still unconscious. Luckily the police had taken him away not long after that.

There was nothing anyone could do for the chimp; it was dead. This did nothing to raise Nikki's mood, although it helped that she knew the babies were going to be taken care of from then on.

Curtis was alright though, and that was one of the most relieving pieces of news. He had a big bruise on his head and a slight concussion from being knocked unconscious repeatedly. Also, he was a little dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise doing very well.

Nikki was sitting silently in the back of Leo's car after he had insisted he'd be driving her and Harry home. She could see him speaking to Easton through the windscreen before he turned to Harry. After a few persistent gestures, he finally got the younger man to join Nikki in the car. Turning around in the passenger seat, he shot her a tired smile.

"Why the long face, Watson?"

Nikki's brow furrowed, but she still smiled back. "Watson?"

His eyebrows raised and nodded as if it were obvious. "Well, I'm not going to be Watson, am I? I'm much more of a Sherlock."

"I don't remember Sherlock whining so much about waiting for the police," she said with sneaky smirk.

"Shut up," he mumbled, facing forward again as Leo's door opened and he sat down heavily.

After letting out a loud sigh, he was quiet for a moment. "Goodness, I need a drink." Harry laughed, nodding his agreement as Leo started the car.

* * *

Harry was late, Leo noticed as he glanced at the clock on his wall. Rolling his eyes to himself, he decided to let him off easy after all that had happened. His gaze wandered out of his office for a moment, and he watched absently as Nikki paced around her desk, straightening pencils and piles of paper as she waited. Her head snapped up at the buzz of the door and Harry appeared, closely followed by DI Sadler.

"Only you, Nikki Alexander, manage to come dangerously close to death and show up on time for work the next morning," he heard Harry grumble sleepily.

Nikki shrugged, looking eagerly at the DI. "I have more practice than you."

Shrugging of his coat, Harry's nose scrunched up. "That is true. You seem to be shaping up to be a right danger junkie."

Leo pushed back his chair to join them, checking his watch as he exited his office. "Ah," he smiled as Curtis entered, holding the door open for Easton. "I was just wondering when you'd get here. It seems we're all here, so come on through." Leading them to the conference room, he took a seat as Sadler took control.

"Right," he began, face void of all emotion. "First things first…" His face turned soft when he turned to Curtis. "How's the head?"

"It feels like a thousand blacksmiths are hammering away on anvils behind my eyes," he joked. "No, I'm alright. The doctor said I'll be fine in no time."

"And you two?" Sadler asked Nikki and Harry.

"We're fine as well," Nikki nodded with a smile.

A grumble came from Harry. "Enough with the pleasantries," he said, attempting to hurry things along. "What's the news? Where did that chimp come from? Who killed everyone?"

Normally Sadler would not have appreciated the interruption, but he seemed to have grown tolerant of Harry. "Once he's out of critical care, Oliver Anson, as we now know him as—"

"Fedora Man?" Harry cut him off.

"Yes," he sighed, calming himself. "Once Fedora Man has recovered, he will be arrested for the murders of Lauren Todd and Conner Wilson, as well as distributing drugs and housing illegally imported baby chimpanzees. John Miller is it a heap of trouble as well, as he was involved in most of Mr. Anson's dealings."

Nikki raised her eyebrows. "Oliver Anson killed his own delivery driver?"

Nodding, Sadler went on. "When Curtis arrived at Mr. Wilson's home, he panicked and knocked him out."

"I remember waking up in a forest," Curtis continued. "He was acting strange, agitated. I tried to get the jump on him, but he overpowered me, knocked me out again."

Again, Sadler took over. "It turns out he'd called Oliver Anson. He tied Curtis to the tree where you found him and went to meet his boss a few miles from that location."

"And you got all this information from Oliver Anson?" Leo asked to clarify.

"Yeah, he woke up yesterday evening. He seemed quite proud of his story, so it wasn't hard to get it out of him," Easton spoke up.

"Anyway," Sadler pressed on, "His chimp was becoming a liability. He knew we'd have its DNA by now, so he couldn't use it to do his dirty work anymore. That's why he shot it." Everyone frowned. "He left it in the woods and returned to the road to meet Conner, who was freaking out. He was thinking we'd be onto him any moment, so Oliver shot him as well. He was the one who positioned him back in his car and jammed the stick on the accelerator."

"And we found that thread of rope on Conner Wilson's shirt," Leo nodded as things began to fit into place.

"Which came from the rope he used to tie me up," Curtis finished.

"How come the chimp didn't bleed out?" Harry asked. "It was out in the forest for a long time. Even if the bullet didn't kill on impact, it would have lost too much blood to survive for so long afterwards."

"He only grazed its arm," Sadler answered. "He either knocked it out or it was in shock. That's why he thought it was dead."

Easton spoke up again. "Animals can be remarkably strong when they want to be," she said. "They can go through so much pain and still function. And chimps are smart; it must have remembered who its attacker was and wanted its revenge."

"They can be brutal in the wild," Nikki agreed.

The other woman nodded. "That's why it attacked him right away when it found you."

"Poor thing," Nikki muttered, mostly to herself. "To be used like that… It looked at me before it died; the look in its eyes seemed almost like… relief." Leo gave her a sympathetic smile and she snapped herself out of her sudden sadness. "What of the other chimps, the babies?"

"They've all be taken into care. Most are going to sanctuaries and a couple to zoos," Curtis said, grinning across the table when the look in Nikki's eyes brightened.

"Zoos that will take care of them, I hope," she said with a raised eyebrow.

Sadler nodded, as if just remembering something. "Speaking of zoos, the Little family has been taken into custody, though I imagine Charlie will get off with a warning. He did help us after all. It took him a while, but he did the right thing."

"Good," Harry breathed as they all slumped in their chairs, as if a weight had floated off their shoulders simultaneously. "So that's it then?"

"That's it," Curtis clarified, a sigh of his own escaping at the satisfaction of wrapping up of another case.


End file.
